4,408 Shares in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Acquired by USA Financial Formulas

USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in shares of Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,408 shares of the textile maker's stock, valued at approximately $973,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Ralph Lauren by 93.7% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 122 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Ralph Lauren by 178.0% during the first quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1,270.0% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 137 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 281.1% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 202 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 22,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd now owns 226 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. 67.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

NYSE RL traded down $7.15 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $260.05. 919,437 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 823,995. Ralph Lauren Co. has a 52-week low of $155.96 and a 52-week high of $289.33. The company has a market capitalization of $15.69 billion, a PE ratio of 23.73, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The firm's 50-day moving average is $245.34 and its 200-day moving average is $242.15.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The textile maker reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.00 by $0.27. Ralph Lauren had a net margin of 10.14% and a return on equity of 30.88%. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.71 EPS. Ralph Lauren's revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 12.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, May 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the textile maker to reacquire up to 8.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Ralph Lauren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.9125 per share. This represents a $3.65 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. This is a boost from Ralph Lauren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Ralph Lauren's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Cfra Research downgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ralph Lauren from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $250.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Ralph Lauren from $262.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.88.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

Ralph Lauren Corporation designs, markets, and distributes lifestyle products in North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers apparel, including a range of men's, women's, and children's clothing; footwear and accessories, which comprise casual shoes, dress shoes, boots, sneakers, sandals, eyewear, watches, fashion and fine jewelry, scarves, hats, gloves, and umbrellas, as well as leather goods, such as handbags, luggage, small leather goods, and belts; home products consisting of bed and bath lines, furniture, fabric and wallcoverings, floor coverings, lighting, tabletop, kitchen linens, floor coverings, dining, decorative accessories, and giftware; and fragrances.